Rajasthan Royals’ batsman announces break from cricket due to severe anxiety

Aryaman Vikram Birla has taken a ‘sabbatical’ from cricket in order to cope with ‘severe anxiety’. The 22-year-old batsman, who played for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and has also featured for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, announced the same on social media.

“I have felt trapped. I have pushed myself through all the distress so far but now I feel the need to put my mental health and well being above all else,” Birla wrote on Instagram.

“We all have our own journeys and I want to take this time to understand myself better, open my mind to new and varied perspectives and seek purpose in my findings.”

Son of business baron, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aryaman left his home in Mumbai at the age of 17 and tried his luck in Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. Birla has played nine first-class matches so far in his career after having made his first-class debut in 2017 against Odisha at Indore. He last played a match in January this year against Andhra Pradesh. Last year, he was the highest run scorer in the C.K. Nayudu Trophy.

Of late, a lot of cricketers have been opening up on their struggle against anxiety and other mental health issues. Recently, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell had also announced that he needs time off cricket due to mental health issues, and Maxwell got support from the entire cricket fraternity for the same.

“It’s easy to overlook on the outside, because all [the fans and media] see is players going out there and play in front of the big crowds, thinking how good a life they must have,” Maxwell told The Age.

“But it’s extremely tough. You spend a lot of time in a hotel by yourself, away from your family, it is a tough time. There’s a lot of travel, a lot of time away from family. As much as people want to see more and more cricket, it does take a toll on players. The public [need] to be a bit more patient, and potentially a bit more forgiving on certain players.”